The Sports Truth

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The Pundit is back! After taking a short sabbatical to get his personal affairs in order, the Pundit decided once again to grace this technologically inferior, chimp-edited site with his stately presence before wannabe prognosticators such as Lucas Dwyer attempt to pollute the Pundit’s rabid fan base with NFL excrement.

Back to business. Let us recount the season-long greatness of the Pundit. After the last official week of picks before his holiday, the Pundit’s glorious record stood at 39-12, for a gaudy percentage of .764! No wonder the traffic to TheSportsTruth.com is picking up - people are clearly recognizing the brilliance and acumen of the Pundit.

Perhaps the Pundit should start his own site, but that is a matter for another day. Without further delay‚ the Pundit now offers his voracious fans what they have been craving for the last month - his picks for the crock of poo that is the Bowl Championship Series.

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Rose Bowl: Southern Cal (10-2) vs Michigan (11-1)

Every fan of the maize and blue has been screaming bloody murder since the final BCS rankings came out.

The Pundit would like to take this opportunity to tell you all to piss off! While the Pundit is no fan of BCS, he would have been less a fan of having a damn OSU-Michigan rematch.

Face it, Michigan fans, the SEC is a stronger conference than the Big 10 and Florida, while lacking style points along the way, earned the #2 seed the hard way. You can thank the Missouris and Iowas of the world for having weak teams. Get over it!

As for the Rose Bowl, this is an old school Big 10/Pac 10 rumble featuring some true heavyweights. Michigan is believed to be the most well-rounded team in the country, possessing a vertical passing attack, a strong running game, and a pro caliber front seven on defense.

USC has been hot and cold all year. They are like the SportsTruth.com’s Michael Stephens in softball - sometimes you get a home run and sometimes you get the bunt single with less oomph than a Pundit beer fart. They wreak havoc on opposing defenses for this reason, because you never know when John David Booty and Dwyane Jarrett (below) will light it up deep or get bogged down in check downs and dropped passes. Lacking the playmakers they have had in the past, USC’s defense has been suspect at times as well.

Prediction: If Booty and Jarrett can get some deep balls early to loosen up the Wolverines front seven and allow USC to run the rock, it could be a good game. However, the Pundit thinks that Michigan can go shot for shot with Trojans in a shootout if needed, or totally lock them down to show up the BCS voters. The Pundit is going for the middle ground with Michigan jumping the Trojans early but letting the Trojans hang around. Pete Carroll is too good of a coach to let his team get blasted in a bowl. Michigan by 14 in a controlled shootout.

Fiesta Bowl: Boise State (12-0) vs Oklahoma (10-2)

This is the black sheep of the BCS bowls.

The Broncos go undefeated in the WAC and cry all year long about being left out of the national title race, so the voters give them this bowl slot to make them feel better. Somehow, the Pundit remembers Utah’s BCS run as being somewhat less pitiful - they let their play speak for itself.

By all accounts, Oklahoma is lucky to be in this bowl.

They lose their top QB to disciplinary action, as well as one of the best tailbacks in recent memory for most of the season due to injury. The key element for this team is none other than Bob Stoops. Despite two potential knockout shots and a downswing in NFL caliber talent, he kept his team focused so they could take advantage of Texas’ pratfalls down the stretch.

How good is Oklahoma in a weaker Big 12? Who the hell really knows.

Prediction: The Sooners got through a tough season with some serious issues that would have tanked most teams, and play in a better conference. Sooners by 14 in the least-anticipated bowl all year. Well, except the Don’t Sleep With the Ugly Inbred Miner’s Daughter West Virginia / Marshall Coal Bowl earlier this year.

Orange Bowl: Louisville (11-1) vs. Wake Forest (11-1)

This is by far the most interesting matchup of all the BCS Bowls. Louisville was one win away from potentially being in the title game (yes, the Big East was strong enough, people - look at the bowl games played so far). Wake Forest won the ACC despite its talent-limiting academic standards (just think about that for a second).

Louisville is a high octane, pro-style offense that could probably score some points on some NFL teams. Wake Forest runs a multiple set wishbone attack that emphasizes ball control and misdirection. Both teams play bend- but-don’t-break defense.

Key questions include:

• Can Wake Forest’s offense keep the Louisville offense off the field by running the ball up the gut, the Cardinals’ biggest weakness?
• Can Wake Forest stop the aerial assault that averaged 35+ points a game this year? The Pundit thinks everyone that loves college football should watch this one just to see an unusual clash of styles.

Prediction: Wake Forest had a magical run and should be commended for it this year, but the Pundit doesn’t think the Deacons have the secondary to stop the Cardinals. Another thing to consider: The ACC was way down this year, so how impressive is the Deacons’ record? Cardinals by 24.

Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame (10-2) vs. LSU (10-2)

The Irish were one of the Pundit’s preseason favorites. That one gets a big Homer Simpson “D’oh!” from the Pundit! Anyways, the Irish are lucky to be here, seeing that Arkansas played a tougher schedule and looked better doing it.

With that BCS flub in mind, the Irish can hang with anyone on offense when they are hot. However, their defense sucks! They can’t lock anyone down for more than a series or two, especially in the deep middle of the field on post and seam routes.

As for the Tigers, they are the best two-loss team in the country. They had one major slip-up which cost them a chance at the title game. They aren’t flashy or dominant on offense, but they play hard, aggressive, mistake-free ball on defense.

Prediction: The Irish will score points with their high-octane offense, but the Tigers will counter that with solid scheming and athleticism. The Irish won’t be able to stop the Tigers solid all around offense with their swiss cheese defense. The strengths of these two teams will battle it out and the Pundit takes the Tigers by 10 in an entertaining game. The Irish will keep it close, but the Tigers will control this one throughout.

BCS Title Game: Ohio State (12-0) vs. Florida (11-1)

The Pundit thinks this could actually be an interesting matchup… if a few things happen:

1. Chris Leak (right) finally lives up to the massive hype that brought him to the Gators in the first place and lights up Ohio State’s secondary instead of choking in a big game.
2. Troy Smith & Co. get the lead in the first half, and then get comfortable in the second half, allowing the Gators to sneak back in it.
3. The Gators’ defense, which has carried them all year, plays two lock down halves of football.

Of the above three scenarios, the Pundit doesn’t think any of them are likely to happen. Chris Leak is a biyatch, Jim Tressel won’t allow the Buckeyes to let up after last year’s debacle against Texas, and Florida’s D is good but not good enough to shut down OSU for a whole game.

Prediction: Florida is screwed. They have a chance, but only a slim one. Ohio State will have to give them serious help by way of turnovers. The Buckeyes will be in a dogfight in the first half, but will cruise in the second half and win by 17.

Posted in College Football